Trump claims to have ended the war in Congo. People there say that’s not true

GOMA, Congo (AP) – U.S. President Donald Trump claims that the war in eastern Congo is among the ones he has stopped, after brokering a peace deal between Congo and Rwanda in June. But residents, conflict researchers and others say that’s not true.

Trump on Monday repeated claims that he ended the decadeslong conflict, describing Congo as the “darkest, deepest” part of Africa. “For 35 years, it was a vicious war. Nine million people were killed with machetes. I stopped it. … I got it stopped and saved lots of lives,” he asserted.

The Associated Press previously fact-checked Trump’s claim and found the war far from over. Now residents report clashes in several hot spots, often between the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels who seized key cities earlier this year and militia fighting alongside Congolese forces.

A final peace deal between Congo and the rebels, facilitated by Qatar, appears to have stalled. Each side has accused the other of violating peace terms.

Here’s what people say about Trump’s latest claim:

The local human rights inspector in South Kivu province’s Kabare territory, Ciruza Mushenzi Dieudonné, said residents in the communities of Bugobe, Cirunga, Kagami and Bushwira continue to flee clashes between the M23 rebels and the Wazalendo militia.

“The problem now is that we do not have humanitarian assistance, hospitals operate during the day and health professionals find refuge elsewhere at night to escape the insecurity,” Dieudonné said.

Christian Rumu with Amnesty International said the rights group learned of clashes during the past 24 hours in various locations. “It is far from the reality to say that he has ended the war,” he said of Trump.

“The U.S. president is misguided in his assessment because people on the ground continue to experience grave human rights violations, and some of these amount to crimes against humanity,” Rumu said, urging Trump to speed up the peace process.

Amani Safari, a student in Goma, the city first seized by the M23 and most affected by the fighting, said nothing has changed since the peace deal was signed in June.

“Unfortunately, when you look at this agreement, there are no binding sanctions against the two countries that violate it,” Safari said. “The United States only sees American interests.”

Espoir Muhinuka, a activist in Goma, said there is no sign the war will end soon and urged Trump to take steps to achieve the permanent ceasefire the peace deal provided for.

“If this does not happen, it would deceive all of humanity,” Muhinuka said.

The president of civil society in North Kivu province, John Banyene, said he and other residents are losing hope of permanent peace.

“The killings, the displacement of the population and the clashes continue, therefore, we are still in disarray,” Banyene said. “We, as civil society, encourage this dialogue, but it drags on.”

Christian Moleka, a Congo-based political analyst, said the peace deal brokered by Trump initially helped to facilitate the peace process, but Congo and the M23 missed a deadline to sign a final peace agreement.

“For a conflict that combines the complexities of the structural weaknesses of the Congolese state, local identity and land conflicts, and the fallout of crises in neighboring countries … Trump’s approach may appear as a truce rather than a definitive settlement,” Moleka said.

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Asadu reported from Dakar, Senegal. Janvier Barhahiga in Bukavu, Congo contributed.